On Home Turf
by Stellar Lady
Summary: After a slight screwup on the part of the Joes, Cobra sets up shop in a town known as the Boondocks.Unknown to them however, the boondocks is the home turf of one of the joes and he won't stop till he gets ride of them.
1. Chapter 1

The Joes slipped into the old warehouse quietly. They needed to locate their comrade fast. God only knew what Cobra would do to him. Tunnel Rat had gone in an hour ago on a recon mission to gather info and had gotten caught before he could complete the mission, but not before sending out the info to Hi-wire's computer and telling them to get out. They refused to just abandon him. The Joes entered the main room ,which was full of torture devices. Duke frowned deeply. He didn't know how well Tunnel Rat would stand up to torture.

Each Joe was positioned around the room strategically. As if on cue, Baroness entered with two Cobra soldiers dragging their captured teammate. He was nude except for underwear but he wasn't embarrassed at all. He kept his shoulders straight and when Baroness turned to face him, Tunnel Rat looked her square in the eye, like a true soldier.

"So, you dare spy on us? Well ,I'll give you two options :tell me where your fellow Joes are hiding or I'll force it out of you," she said.

"Torture me all you like you hag 'cause you'll get nothing out of me," Tunnel Rat said.

"You have guts boy. I'll give you that. You two! Strap him down," she ordered.

The Joe was calm and composed as he was strapped to steel table. His eyes were closed ,like he was asleep. He braced himself, and then it started. Duke could see Scarlett shaking out of the corner of his eye. It was hard to watch a friend suffer so much. Tunnel Rat gave no sign of how much pain he was in, not one sound. Bolts of electricity coursed through his body and he refused to scream. Baroness gave her soldiers the signal to stop.

"Now ,will you revel the location of your comrades?" she asked.

"Fuck you bitch," he responded, spitting in her face.

She smacked him hard. Duke couldn't help smile a little. Tunnel Rat was being stubborn. He wasn't going to betray his comrades, no matter what she did. Baroness gave the soldiers the signal to keep going ,as Destro himself entered. Baroness signaled for the soldiers to stop.

"I can't believe he's still breathing," he said.

"Neither can I. He's a stubborn one. What do you think? How should we torture him next?"

"I think I have an idea. I have been working on an experiment in cloning. Perhaps I could use him to create a clone, then use the clone to infiltrate the Joes' headquarters. Also , we could use him in another experiment I'm working on," Destro said.

A blood sample was taken and sent to another part of the building. Then Destro began his experiment. It was horrifying to watch them doing this. Destro let the Baroness do the dirty work however. Slowly, ever so slowly, she took a knife with a serrated edge and began to slit the young Joe's arms. She didn't hit anything that would cause Tunnel Rat to bleed out ,but enough to cause pain. She heated another knife and continued to torture him. They used

"Hi-tech, how many people are in this building?" Duke whispered over his communicator.

"There's all 9 of you ,Destro, Baroness, two soldiers and one scientist."

Fourteen people. Destro and Baroness decided to stop their cruelty for the day and left, ordering the soldiers to clean up. The two soldiers laughed and chatted as if nothing had happened.

"Hi-tech, where are Destro and the Baroness?"

"The lab. Duke you won't believe this but you know that clone Destro was talking about."

"What about it?"

"It's already done."

"What?" Duke hissed ,noticing the surprised looks of his comrades ,who were listing.

"I know it sounds odd, but it is. I tapped into their systems. They don't have it programmed yet. Look ,I have an idea .You guys worry about helping Tunnel Rat and I'll steal the clone and we'll use it against Cobra."

"Got it."

Duke nodded to the others and they jumped the soldiers. With the soldiers out cold, Heavy Duty set out to get Tunnel Rat out of the restraints. The young Joe had passed out and was very weak. He had scars that were still bleeding and ugly burn marks. He looked like he'd be dragged through hell six or seven times. His eyes had rolled back into because of the pain but his face showed nothing. Heavy Duty picked him up as gently as possible. He didn't want to hurt the young man. Tunnel Rat shuddered and latched onto his friends shirt.

The team moved out as quietly as possible as Hi-Tech ,with help from Long Range, finished loading the tank holding the clone into the R.O.C.C . Heavy Duty sat down on one of the passenger seats in the back with his shivering comrade curled up on his lap. He and Scarlett wrapped Tunnel Rat in a blanket to keep him warm. He shuddered again and snuggled as close to his friend as possible. The R.O.C.C rumbled along towards the base. Tunnel Rat looked awful. Scarlett cried every time she looked at him. He was in so much pain but , even unconscious , he knew he was safe .They were worried that he wouldn't make it. But they prayed he would.


	2. Chapter 2

Tunnel Rat's eyes flashed open. Where the hell was he? As his eyes slowly began to focus ,he realized he was in the med room at the base. He tried to sit up but he was hooked up to tons of machines. His wounds hadn't been _that_ bad had they? _ Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck ,fuck, fuck_, he cursed mentally , as he detached all the machines.

Tunnel Rat stretched and looked around. The others must have rescued him. He dressed and slipped out silently. He heard voices in the meeting room. Sounded like Duke Giving the others the low-down on their next mission.  
"This is going to be hard with Tunnel-Rat sleeping like a corpse down in medical-"Sleeping like a corpse huh?"-but it looks like Cobra's set up a new base in a large town called Nero Falls ,Kansas ,in a dingy neighborhood called the Boondocks-"The Boondocks? His eyes narrowed. Those bastard dared to set up shop in _his_ home town-"and we need to give them their eviction notice. All right people, suit up and met in the hanger in ten minutes."

Tunnel Rat smiled. There was no way in hell he was letting them leave him behind. His wounds had already healed fully. He'd always been a fast healer. He slipped into his room and suited up.

When they entered the hanger to board the R.O.C.C ,Tunnel Rat was sitting on top of the vehicle. He smiled at them.

"You weren't planning to leave me behind were you?" He asked cynically.

"But your injured," Scarlett said.

"I heal fast. Besides, we're headed to the Boondocks right? That's home turf for me. I grew up there and it's small enough neighborhood that everybody knows everybody else. The people there trust me," He said, sliding the R.O.C.C ."Just trust me , ok?"

"I'd recommend it."

Everyone turned. A man stood in the hanger doorway. He was dressed in a military uniform and was clearly a general. He walked forward ,using a cane, and extended a hand to Duke ,who took it.

"You are?"

"General Collin. Hawk asked me to brief you on what kind of place the boondocks is."

After General Collin briefed them , a silence fell over those in the R.O.C.C 's back cabin. Tunnel Rat sat a little apart from them and Scarlett was worried about his injuries.

"Don't worry Scarlett , he's fine," Collin said.

"How do you know he's fine?"

"Didn't he tell you anything about himself? Tunnel Rat was in the army before he was a Joe," the general replied.

"How do you know?"

"I was his C.O. Best soldier in the unit. I was proud to call him my second-in-command."

The team stared at Collin like he was nuts.

"Ha, ha, ha , ha. I guess I should elaborate. Tunnel Rat is a grade A super genius. Graduated high school at age eight and college at age twelve, majoring in engineering and computer technology. He didn't have anything else to do. When the army created it's special tactics unit , he joined up. They didn't even ask him his age. He went through more grueling basic training then basic for the army ,navy ,air force and the marines rolled into one and passed through with flying colors. Then he came into my unit. He loved explosives even then. He was the youngest member of the unit. But he was the bravest. Four years after he joined, we were assigned to rescue three hundred prisoners from a terrorist base in the Amazon. Colonel Radcliff was my second-in-command then. His plan was to bust in guns blazing. Tunnel Rat came up with a better plan. Because there were forty-five soldiers in our unit , he proposed that we line the entrance to the back of the base and the path to the front of the base with explosives. Then twenty-two members of the unit go in through the back and distract the terrorists inside. Twenty-two other soldiers would get the prisoners out through the front. Then once all the prisoners and soldiers were safe and sound at the base ,which was about 30 feet from where the two paths meet, the last member of the unit would detonate the bombs."

"Let me guess, it didn't work."

"Well it worked but not as we'd hoped. Radcliff was angry that is plan hadn't been chosen. He went with twenty-one soldiers in the back, I went in the front with twenty-one and Tunnel Rat stayed behind to detonate the bomb at the right time. However, when Radcliff and his unit made it to the base after completing their part and Tunnel Rat detonated those bombs ,and we exited the front, Radcliff fired on one of the bombs causing it to explode as we were half way through with the prisoners. Thirty-seven prisoners and thirteen soldiers, including myself, were trapped. Tunnel Rat risked his life to save us, getting shot six times by the enemy . He received a purple heart and an Iron Cross for Courage."

Scarlett glanced at her comrade. Was Tunnel Rat really a hero?

"He wa awarded a second purple heart and a second Iron Cross after pulling a soldier from another unit out of a burning vehicle , getting a third-degree burn on his left arm."

The general finished his tale and left them to dwell on their comrade's bravery.

After entering the neighborhood, the team got into their under cover outfits. They were to be strategically placed around the neighborhood. Tunnel Rat, much to Duke's annoyance would be going off on his own because he knew the Boondocks well.

Before they split up , General Collin pulled Tunnel Rat to the side and spoke to him quietly. What they were talking about ,heaven only knows. The general gave him something and sent him on his way. Something about Tunnel Rat's manner changed as he walked away. _This is going to be one hell of a mission_, Duke thought.

Thank you AketchiDragon for your reiveiw. I enjoy reading reviews like yours. Speaking of which, if you read this story please reveiw. I work very hard.


	3. Chapter 3

Tunnel Rat walked into the club and gave his jacket to a bouncer. He was dressed to kill. The leather was cold against he skin but the tight ,sleeveless shirt showed off his muscles a little. He was a bit self-conscious ,however, not having been in the Boondocks in several years. The rest of Brooklyn was all nice and clean ,but the Boondocks hadn't changed. Walking to the bar he looked around for the bartender.

"Hey! Tony!" he called.

He ordered a beer and sat facing the dance floor. The gun he was hiding near his ankle was colder then his shirt. A few of the ladies whistled at him .He gave them his best smile but he was all business. He was starting to get edgy as he looked for his contact. _Calm the fuck down Nicky . Everything's fine . She'll show,_ Tunnel Rat thought ,getting everything in in one glance. A pretty red-head walked to the bar and ordered a beer. She smiled at him.

"So, Nick, what brings you back to the Boondocks?" she asked.

"Cobra. Seems they set up shop here. I'm helping to give them their eviction notice. You got that info I wanted?" He replied.

"Here. Are you goin' 'ta stay for awhile after this whole thang blows over?"

"Sorry, Becky ,but I got a job I gotta do. I'll come back if Duke gives me off time but there ain't no way that's happinin' any time soon."

He finished his beer, paid for it and walked away ,with Becky still staring at him.

"Give it up Becky. Nicky's a trained soldier," Tony said.

"I know. But that don't mean he don't have a heart in that chest somewheres," she said.

Tunnel Rat ran a hand through his blonde hair. He got the urge to say screw it and give up the soldier thing but what else could he do? Being a soldier was his life, he didn't know anything else. Growing up in the boondocks was growing up in hell, literally sometimes. He was always fighting for his life as he grew up. Hell was hell and it rarely changed. Would he be able to do anything else if he left? He didn't think so.

He could always become a cop. But ,after this nothing would ever be so exciting. He was born a soldier, he'd die a soldier. Tunnel Rat stopped at a corner, leaned against a telephone poll, and stared at the sky. The moon was out but it was covered by a thin blanket of clouds. He wanted to say here, he was home for the first time in ten years and for the first time ,in all those years, he finally felt safe. This place gave him the stability that being a soldier didn't. Sometimes the stress got so bad that he couldn't think straight and his mind wandered into place that it shouldn't. It wandered into that dark place that was him before General Collin saved him.

He pushed of the telephone poll and started walking before some passing cop thought he was a street walker. It wasn't hard , considering the outfit but he wasn't up to getting arrested now. Not with his good record. He bumped into a few real street walkers, getting more whistles. He even whistled at a couple of girls he'd grown up with , who in turn whistled back.

As the R.O.C.C came into view ,he felt his heart sink into his stomach. General Collin had given him the time and place to meet Becky but had he told the others what Tunnel Rat was doing? The young Joe was getting his info from trustworthy people he knew he could trust but would the others trust the info as much? He stepped inside the vehicle but no one was there except for Hi-Tech.

"Hey ,Hi-Tech ,has anyone else come back yet?" he asked.

"Huh? They did but you were late so they went looking," Hi-Tech said.

"Late? What time is it?"

"Nine-thirty."

"I was only gone an hour and a half. "

"Where were you anyway?"

"A bar. Don't look at me like that. I wasn't partying, I was meeting a contact there. It's a fifteen minute walk both ways and my contact was late," Tunnel Rat explained.

"Right."

"Wee bit untrusting aren't we?"

"I _do_ trust you Tunnel Rat but Duke is worried about you and he doesn't think-"

"Duke can fuck off!"

Hi-Tech whirled around to look at his friend. Tunnel Rat looked beyond pissed. He'd never seen the young man so mad. Tunnel Rat headed towards the door.

"When Duke gets back ,tell him I checked in and went out again and that I'll be back when he pulls his head out of his ass and stops treating me like I'm two," the Joe growled ,giving him a dirty look.

"Ok ,ok. Just go," Hi-Tech said ,waving him off.

He left and the young genius rubbed his hands together. What was eating him? Tunnel Rat was never like this. Maybe he was mad because Duke was hindering him from doing his duty? _Who knows,_ he thought. This was one hell of a mission.

Three hours later everyone was back except for Tunnel Rat. Hi-Tech relayed his message to Duke ,who was pissed. He ranted on about it until Scarlet got mad, and told him to shut up because it was his fault in the first place. The COM link started beeping : someone was trying to call in.

"Hello?" Duke snapped ,pressing the button.

"Hi guys," said a small voice.

"Tunnel Rat where the hell have you been!"

"Don't yell Duke please. Don't be mad…"

"Like hell ! You're being insubordinate. You are in big trouble."

"Don't yell ,please! I'm sorry ok? It's just the stress-"

Tunnel Rat sounded like he was on the verge of tears. He was really upset. Before Duke could say anything else Scarlet cut him off.

"Hang on. Tunnel Rat are you drunk?" she asked.

"A little."

"What !"

"Please don't be mad. Please !I'm sorry alright! It's the stress getting to me. Don't be mad at me."

Now the tears were starting. Tunnel Rat really was upset. He was broken up over ,not just stress, but Duke's treatment of him as well.

"Can you guys come get me? I don't want to be out here alone."

"Sure. Where are you?"

"Third and….Western."

They headed to the streets given. Tunnel rat was sitting on a bench near a payphone. Scarlet scolded Duke one last time for getting him upset and went to talk to him. He was shaking from the cold. Scarlet wrapped an arm around him.

"Wanna talk?" she asked.

"It's not fair Scarlet. Why does he have to treat me like this? Am I that useless?"

"Don't say that. He's just being a prick. I think he's just in a bad mood."

Scarlet did the best she could but he really needed to get this off his chest. Duke had been rather cruel. Finally , Tunnel Rat wore himself out from crying and fell asleep. Heavy Duty carried him inside and nobody would speak to Duke.

Thank you very much Southern Shinigami for your review. I love getting these kinds of reviews. This won't become an abandoned fic so don't worry. I have never abandoned a fic before and I won't do it now.


	4. Chapter 4

Tunnel Rat didn't know where he was going ,but he needed some air. Duke was being such a fucking asshole. And he was using that term generously. Duke knew what he could do so why was he being treated like a baby? Duke was still mad at him for last night , even though he had no right to be mad. Tunnel Rat wasn't going to the Boondocks tonight. He was doing recon in the nice part of town since the others were getting info from everyone there. God, barred out of his home turf. Before he knew it he was in a nice part of town , wandering through a park.

The paths were lit and there were couples of all races , cultures and walks of life. Suddenly , fireworks erupted overhead. He'd forgotten it was the fourth of July. The fireworks were amazing. He hadn't watched fireworks since he was ten. He slipped his hands in the pockets of his jeans and watched the bursts of light dancing on the sky above him.

Sarah watched Tunnel Rat from a distance. Her boyfriend was being a prick and flirting with some dumb blonde so se decided him get back at him. She walked up to him shyly.

"Hi," she said.

He turned to her startled.

"Sorry. It's just that you don't look like you're from around here," Sarah said.

"Oh , well I am but not this neighborhood. I'm from the Boondocks," he said.

"Could of figured."

Before either of them knew it , the two were talking about everything. Tunnel Rat introduced himself as Nicky. He was a solider on leave from the army and was visiting. Sarah asked if he had family. He told her he was an orphan and had raised himself. The talked for hours. They had so much in common and they like each others company. He walked her to home.

"I hope I can see you again Sarah," Nicky said.

"Here. My phone number and address ," she said , handing him the slip of paper.

They parted ways, Tunnel Rat silently cheering. Maybe this mission wouldn't be so bad.

Duke was still in a pissy mood. He didn't like this mission at all. Cobra seemed to have plans to take control of the town using a mind control device. Tunnel Rat was lost in all thought, looking over the notes he had. Duke felt that the younger man was still pissed as hell. He couldn't blame him but the blonde couldn't help but worry. Tunnel Rat shouldn't even be awake yet.

Tunnel Rat gave him an evil look. Duke walked into the R.O.C.C's cockpit to talk to Scarlet and Hi-Tech. Looking over Hi-tech's shoulder and frowned.

"Looks like the snakes are on the move," the blonde said.

"That's the understatement of the year ,Duke," Hi-tech responded.

"I'll inform the others."

"Duke-"

"Don't start Scarlet. Tunnel Rat isn't going on-," he said.

"Oh don't be such a fucking asshole! You need to pull your head out of your ass to that Tunnel Rat's doing his best and you're treating him like he's at death's door ," Scarlet snapped crossly.

"I'd take the lady's advice Duke."

General Collin walked in ,leaning on his cane." Tunnel Rat is very capable of doing his duty. Give him a chance."

Duke stared at him. Did everybody go insane? He'd never dealt with insubordination from anyone in his team. Swearing venomously under his breathe, Duke went into the back to brief the others. He really hated this mission.

Tunnel Rat didn't know what Scarlet said to Duke but she must've busted his chops about something. The area he was scouting had a Italian restaurant so he called Sarah. He really liked her. He knew he wasn't obeying Duke's orders exactly but Duke was an asshole so it didn't matter. Tunnel Rat didn't care about orders. He was in love and he had it bad.

Sarah met Tunnel Rat outside the restaurant . Dressed in all black , he looked gorgeous. He smiled at her and they walked into the restaurant. He was such a nice person and they were so compatible. Sarah knew David would be pissed if he found out but she didn't care. She was in love and this was the happiest she'd ever been.

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It had been three weeks and the Joes had foiled all of Cobra's plans so far but Cobra Commander wasn't giving up. Tunnel Rat and Duke had a few more clashes , and particularly nasty one that ended only when Tunnel Rat stormed out in a rage. Tunnel Rat seemed slightly distracted lately. Scarlett noticed and so did everyone but Duke, who had yet to pull his head out of his ass like Tunnel Rat suggested.

Tunnel Rat had gotten to meet Sarah's family ,even though he thought it was to soon. He was very worried . Cobra was becoming more violent and he worried about Sarah and her family. He didn't let show as they sat in the restaurant. It was hard to worry in Sarah's presence. She was so perky. He felt like a normal guy when he was with her. She calmed him , even though he still wanted to boot Duke in the ass.

A sudden rumbling shook the restaurant. In a flash , over three dozen Cobra soldiers had surrounded the patrons._ Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!_ ,he thought. Tunnel Rat pulled Sarah closer . He wanted to do something but that would blow his cover and that wasn't good. Another flash of light blinded everyone inside and when the light faded and Sarah was gone.

Tunnel Rat alerted them, and Duke almost lost it. Tunnel Rat hadn't obeyed direct orders but Scarlett yelled at Duke before he started. They all got in their Sigma suits and headed out. Sixteen people, including Tunnel Rat's girlfriend, were Cobra's hostages.

Tunnel Rat was pissed as hell. He was out for blood now . Not only had Cobra kidnapped his girl but they'd nearly wrecked his home neighborhood. Not even Heavy Duty could stop him from killing someone. General Collin was beginning to worry about the young soldier. He'd never seen him so angry. The young Joe was ready to kill. Nobody could stop him when got like this. Collin thought of all the times Tunnel Rat got this mad under his command. Not a single enemy lived when he got a hold of them.

Sarah was terrified. She and Nicky had tried to hold on to each other but she'd been dragged away. The strange guards said something about Nicky being the enemy . How could Nicky be their enemy?

With a bit of luck the Joes managed to save everyone. With even more luck , Tunnel Rat managed to keep his identity hidden. He hugged Sarah tightly apologizing profusely for not protecting her. She told him it was ok and that he'd done the best he could. Tunnel Rat knew he'd have to tell her sooner or later, preferably sooner then later.


	5. Chapter 5

Cobra was becoming more persistent and it was becoming harder for Tunnel Rat to shield Sarah and her family. She was pissed at him anyway. Her ex-boyfriend David was working for Cobra as it turned out , and said something to her. Tunnel Rat decided it was finally time to tell the truth. It was time to kick Cobra out for good. Dressed in his Sigma suit , Tunnel Rat had opted to walk to Sarah's rather then be dropped off. It gave him time to think.

All of Brooklyn knew something was going down, and the boondocks was already prepared but Sarah's neighborhood wasn't. He hoped Sarah's family could rally them. Tunnel Rat paused in front of her house. It had started raining hard. He didn't know what he'd say when he saw her. Then the door opened and Sarah walked out onto the porch with her family.

"Sarah ,before you say anything let me explain. No matter what that asshole David told you , I _am_ a soldier. I'm just not the type of soldier you thought I was. I'm part of G.I Joe's Sigma Six team. Sarah , please understand ,I love you and I didn't want to keep the truth from you but I didn't want you and your family getting hurt," Tunnel Rat said. " Look, Brooklyn ,and all of New York , is in big trouble right now. It would be helpful if you and your family could rally the rest of your neighborhood to help."

"Why should I believe you?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not asking you to believe me . I'm just asking you to trust me , please," he said.

He could feel his soul starting to crack.

"Don't worry . We'll handle everything," Mr. Haldin said.

Sarah wouldn't look at him. It was breaking Tunnel Rat's heart to see that she hated him so much. The young man thank Mr. Haldin and began to walk away.

"Wait ! I'm coming too," Tony , Sarah's brother ,said.

He was only fifteen. Tunnel Rat walked up the steps and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"No. You need to stay here. It's too dangerous for you to come. I'm counting on you to help your dad rally everyone and look after your mom and sister," the Joe said.

He began heading towards the street corner once more.

"Nicky!"

Sarah ran down the steps and leapt into his open arms. Their lips met and for a moment , the world melted. The sound of a honking horn woke them.

"Hey! Tunnel Rat! Let's go!" Heavy Duty shouted.

"See you soon," he said , before jogging over to the R.O.C.C.

Sarah and her family raced to wake the neighbors.

Cobra soldiers spread out over the city. This was the last attempt. They didn't expect to meet resistance from angry civilians using various weapons. The people of Brooklyn weren't about to give up their neighborhood peacefully. Armed to the teeth , everyone from cops to teachers were ready to fight. They beat back everything Cobra through at them using rocket launchers, grenades ,everything.

The Cobra base was a fury of activity. How could the Joes have warned everyone? The building was rocked suddenly as the R.O.C.C made a crash entrance. The Joes made their entrances and split up. Tunnel Rat couldn't be bothered with small fry; he was going after Baroness. He still had the bruises ad was fixin' to give her a few of her own.

The base wasn't large but Baroness could be a bitch to find. He managed to get a hold of a Cobra solider.

"Tell me where the Baroness is. You'd better not lie 'cause I can torture you worse then she ever could," he growled.

The terrified solider pointed him in the right direction.

As the morning sun rose over Brooklyn , Baroness and her men were taken away. Tunnel Rat was exhausted. Scarlet watched Tunnel Rat and Sarah talking. He was lucky to have found someone who understood him.


End file.
